Accelerating AI Startups in 2026: Insights from Founders, Operators, and Investors

Join us for this informative panel discussion, bringing together two founders from PRAKTIKAI’s KAI Accelerate program and an investor from our Toronto network for an honest, practical conversation about building and scaling AI startups. We’ll cover what’s actually working in early-stage AI, how teams are using data and model-driven workflows to accelerate product development, and what investors are looking for in 2026.The discussion will focus on the challenges of building startups in Canada's AI ecosystem, real founder experiences, how to prototype and build MVPs, and how to navigate early customer adoption in a market crowded with hype. Attendees will walk away with practical insights they can apply immediately, if they’re building, investing, or leading teams through AI adoption.

About the Speakers

Dr. Andrew Reaume, PhD, MBA, is the President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Melior Discovery, which he established in 2005, and the Founder of MeliorIQ. With over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including leadership roles in drug discovery and business analytics at Pfizer and Cephalon, he has raised more than $15 million in investment capital and secured over $40 million in partnering deals. MeliorIQ leverages machine learning to address reproducibility challenges in pre-clinical pharmaceutical research, analyzing environmental variables to reduce industry costs and improve outcomes.

Nissrine Saidi is the Founder and CEO of Seniconnect, an AI-powered platform providing companionship and monitoring for seniors aging at home through voice interactions, health tracking, and family alerts. With a background in AI, IoT, and industrial systems from her education at École Polytechnique de Montréal, she currently serves as OT Security Manager at Deloitte in Toronto. Her work focuses on bridging human care with technology to reduce loneliness and detect early cognitive changes while prioritizing privacy.

Wendy Huang is an Investor at Comma Capital and the Founder of Maple Leaf Venture Club, a non-profit community platform connecting founders, investors, and operators through events like pitch nights, panels, and socials. A University of Toronto alumna, she leads initiatives like Comma Maple to support Canadian startups with early-stage funding, mentorship, and networks, emphasizing conviction in ambitious builders across borders.

PRAKTIKAI’s KAI Accelerate offering is a flexible technical partnership program designed for AI startups at any stage, offering hands-on mentorship, advisory support, collaborative building of core components like MVPs, go-to-market strategies, and investor introductions to help founders overcome common hurdles with pragmatic, experience-based guidance. Learn more at prktk.ai/accelerate

Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com